Ascendant
by Emeralddusk
Summary: In the midst of darkness, an unending light must be born. An alternate ending to the incredible Anime series.
1. I

_Beginning at the conclusion of 'Heart'_

Go Nagai and Emeralddusk's

The Devil Lady:

Ascendant

I

The wind seemed especially cold as Jun sat atop a wooden fence surrounding the quiet, peaceful neighborhood she dare not return to ever again. The raven-black-haired young woman watched over the countryside with a heavy heart, clenching a white robe that concealed her body against her aching heart. Night would come soon, and usher in a night colder than any other.

 _There's nothing left for me in this world,_ Jun told herself as she watched the wind sweep over the blades of grass of the plains before her. _Kazumi is gone. She was all I had. She was all that kept me human…kept me alive. I couldn't even save her. Just like I couldn't save that little girl. She had to die to protect those who needed me. I'm sorry, Chika. And I'm sorry, Kazumi. You both deserved so much better. You deserved the whole world, Kazumi._

 _Mother and Father are gone too. I felt it about a month ago while I lay in bed. They died in their sleep at the hands of Devil-Beasts. The JSDF burned the entire house down to make sure the Beasts were dead. Grandmother and Grandfather passed away painlessly in their beds, as if carried away by a warm wave. They never woke up from their sweet dreams. I thank God for that._

As the sun set over the horizon, Jun watched the blue skies become ablaze with orange, scarlet, and yellow hues. Twilight had fallen. The young woman stood up, her body weighed down with sorrow, and felt the wind grow harsher against her. "Promise me you won't hurt anyone or anything ever again, Chiyoko," she had told the little girl who became like a sister to her. "Be a good girl, and do everything your grandparents tell you."

"Okay," the child answered in a meek voice. "I love you, Jun."

"I love you too," Jun warmly replied. "You don't have anything to be afraid of now. All the devils are gone. Just keep that eye closed and be a normal girl again. I'll never forget you."

As the memories parted like a dying fog, Jun found herself under a sky filling with stars as the sunset slowly faded. It was time to go. Taking one last look behind her, the young woman took in a deep breath, released it into a heavy sigh, turned, and walked away. She had told Chiyoko one last story before leaving her: Devil-Beasts and Devilmen still existed in the world. "The world would be a better place without any Devilmen," she sorrowfully declared to herself. "But those kids weren't Devil-Beasts _or_ Devilmen. They deserve a chance at life. I have to be the _last_ Devilman, and then the nightmare can finally end." Jun closed her eyes as her long hair blew wildly in the wind. Sharply she opened her eyes to reveal the otherworldly fire that had burned within her heart for so long. Tearing off her robe, the woman felt a great heat rush through and over her body as her muscles tightened, her senses sharpened, nails turned to claws, teeth to fangs, and the image of a human shattered to reveal that of a demon. Spreading her black, bat-like wings, the Devil Lady took to the skies as the light of the full moon glistened over her primal, beautiful body.

"Why are you doing this, Jun?" Kazumi's voice gently asked her beloved friend.

"Because I was wrong," the Devil Lady answered in her pure, human voice. "I'm not The Devil. It was Asuka all along. She deceived us all. I'm not doing this for revenge, or even for atonement. I'm doing this to save the rest of the world from her!"

"We were never demons or devils, Jun," Kazumi's angelic voice replied. "Remember that. And remember that I love you."

"I love you too, Kazumi," Jun tearfully declared. "I always have, and I always will, even if I could never say it to you before." Kazumi smiled, let out one of her childlike giggles, kissed her friend and sister one last time, and faded from the realm of the living. "Once Asuka is gone, then I can finally die," a lonely and broken little girl declared. "I'm ready now." _Whoever I thought Asuka was, no longer exists. She tempted us all with golden apples. None of us knew she picked them from the forbidden tree. Now, it all ends._

The corpses of men, women, and children, some Beasts, others monsters, and some human at heart, lined the blood-stained streets of Japan. While the innocent rotted alongside the impure in the gulag Asuka and her pawns had built, the world grew darker. Above the pain, suffering, and death, Asuka, several secretaries, and armed guards sat down before the assistant to the President of the United States and his advisor. The small group reclined in a cool room filled with fresh fruits and alcohol as the earth below burned.

"Everything is ready, Miss Asuka," the assistant happily declared. "The President will make his announcement once you've given us the signal."

"Wonderful," the blond-haired woman answered coldly. "We thank you for your cooperation and faith. You can all return to your country. The burden lies with us now." Asuka stood up and walked towards the windows while the other congratulated one another.

Several times, the men glanced over at the woman, fixated on the chaos outside her haven, and saw small flickers of a warm light. For a second, they even witnessed what looked like a small choir of angels. Though they dismissed it within their hearts and minds as a trick of the lights or the influence of alcohol, they all believed it to be appropriate. Lan Asuka was, after all, the one they had prayed for.

"Come to me, Jun," Asuka whispered, sensing her beloved friend's arrival. "It's time to finish what we started, and never separate again." The blond-haired woman felt her heart begin to flutter before growing to a passionate and unending pounding.

As her bat-like wings tore through the sky, Jun felt her heart, though darkened by her Devilman form, begin to beat faster as her senses sharpened. The days when she and Asuka fought alongside one another, when Asuka praised Jun's beauty, and when their relationship, though complex and hostile at times, and their mutual presence was permanent all seemed so distant. A part of Jun longed to hear Asuka's voice over the phone as Kazumi listened unaware from her favorite spot on the couch. But those days were over now. The cold light of day had revealed the looming darkness Jun never noticed in those times. There would be no resolution, nor victory at the end of this battle. There was no one and nowhere to return home to.

Standing atop the gulag she had created for those she deemed unworthy, Asuka let the cold warmth of the moon warm her body as her white robe blew in the breeze. Jun would know where to find her. Even if she didn't, she would come for the children. On a neighboring island, a plane departed for Washington. It would be the last vessel to leave the ruins of Japan. "Can you hear me, Jun?" Asuka whispered to the night. "Deep down, you must have known this was inevitable. Our work is almost done. There's no need for veils or lies anymore. There's no one left to get in our way."

Her body casting its shadow before the full moon, Jun soared through the sky before spreading her wings, halting in midair, and lowering herself onto the rooftop where Asuka stood. Time seemed to stand still as two beings, one to the left and dressed in white, the other to the right, naked, and draped in black, faced one another as the city around them burned. Gazing into Asuka's cold yet beautiful blue eyes with her own fiery, yellow eyes, all traces of compassion and comfort faded away. The past and its lies were finally dead.

"It's so good to see you again, Jun," Asuka declared, her voice and expression cold as she opened her arms. "How wonderful of you to come to me in your true form."

"You know why I've come, Asuka," the Devil Lady gravely declared in Jun's voice.

"But do you, Jun?" the blond-haired woman replied with a smile. "I'm sure you believe you're here to kill me and save the world. The truth of the matter is, as it always has been, that you've come to give yourself to me." Jun's eyes widened before tightening into a vicious scowl laced with an angry growl no human could produce. "You can't _save_ the world. You never could. _Your_ kind can only destroy. But I'll be the one to deliver us from Sodom."

"The streets are covered in blood _you've_ spilled," Jun coldly struck back. "You've never known anything about me. You never knew or cared for this world. You said so yourself that humans are nothing more than stepping stones for you. There's just one thing I need to know now. What was your goal? What did you think you'd accomplish with all this?"

Letting out a snicker through closed lips, Asuka closed her eyes and raised her head towards the sky. Suddenly, Jun witnessed a warming light form around her foe, paving the way for four-winged Cherubim, child-like Angels with hair as pure and bright as gold and draped with white wings like birds, and fiery figures scarcely resembling storybook angels to float around her. "Your true self made you a devil, Jun," the woman declared as the one she longed for attempted to block her eyes from the blinding light. "But I was born higher than those around me. Something truly good."

Within the breath of an instant, the light swallowed all, and faded to reveal a vast, flowing valley crowned with long, green grass, endless plains and trees bearing every multitude of fruit imaginable. Cool streams free of pollution flowed freely throughout the land as a sky eternally orange and red with the blessing of an ever-lasting sunrise glistened above. Looking around, Jun grew confused and troubled. Behind the two stood two trees separated by several feet. On the left, a tree composed of thick and flowing roots wrapped about one another until they sprouted leaves as green as the grass and crowned with ragged leaves as red as blood. From the outwardly attractive leaves grew apples running with fresh juices and beating like human hearts. Behind Jun was a tree taller than any other. Its exterior was nearly golden in color and flowing with endless branches and leaves greener than any other. Its fruit rested further than the reach of any man.

"Do you know this place, Jun?" Asuka called out. "Eden. This is where man committed his first sin. The first of many."

Glancing down at her clawed feet, Jun saw a white serpent slither around her legs. Quickly, she turned her gaze towards Asuka.

"But man didn't sin on his own, did he?" the blond continued with a degree of satisfaction in her voice. Jun glared at the woman she once considered her friend. "No, he had help from the beginning." Asuka's words seemed to summon a snake as black as a moonless night, walking on four thin legs coming to small, webbed, clawed finger-like toes, and gazing at Jun with very human eyes as red as fire and glistening with deep malice and hatred that went beyond anything human. The beast slowly climbed the tree behind Asuka, reaching its fruit, and dropping it into her open hand. "The fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil," she declared. "The first thing your father promised to man, Jun. Are you proud of it?"

"Go to Hell, Asuka," the Devil Lady snarled. "I don't know how you got these powers, but you're still the same beast you've always been. Think of all the innocent who have suffered under your hand."

"Yes, Jun, I have killed," the blond woman answered with a growing reverence. "But I am _not_ the one who slaughtered children, former lovers, and those foolish enough to try to save you…"

"You drove me to kill them!" Jun screamed. "I didn't ask for this life, but _you_ thrust it upon me! Because you were too weak to do it yourself! I've killed only to defend myself and those who loved. How many have you killed without reason? How many are dead because of your own selfish goals?"

"Sacrifices are necessary, Jun," Asuka replied as she dropped the apple from her hand. "The people had to learn of your kind. Yes, I fed their fear. But now, they will know salvation. They will see the impure and the unholy burn in a divine light." Roaring with agony, the serpent disintegrated within a second. Her mouth agape, Jun watched as balls of fire rained down on Eden, reducing it all to smoldering ash. "Because of you, and because of man, Eden was lost. And I was forced to live in a world that would never accept me. But from the ashes of Eden, I will build a new paradise!" Dust and embers quickly blew away to reveal a lush valley whose only pollution was a few pieces of rubble from a once-proud civilization. Now, all that remained were marble remnants. "This is our fate, Jun. Your kind will die, and I will ascend to a higher form of life. Demons will writhe and die time and time again in eternal agony while I lead mankind to a purer version of itself. The weak and unworthy will die, but the strong and the just will build a new Heaven in my name."

"What right do you have, Asuka?" Jun demanded. "You're no better than any of us."

Snickering under her breath, Asuka grabbed the shoulder of her robe and threw it to the wind. Jun's jaw dropped at the sight before her. Visions of Asuka's naked body had both danced and tormented her dreams for so long. But nothing in her dreams could compare to what she now saw before her. "Do you see me, Jun?" the woman asked as her bare flesh shined under the light of a new sun. Her skin was flawless and free of any scars or blemishes, her breasts fair and strong, her hair long, golden-blond, and flowing freely, and her genitals those of both man and woman. "Do you see the body I once cursed and hated? The body my parents despised and rejected? Because it is _with_ this body that my destiny will be revealed. And you, my beloved Jun, will be the one to help me."

"What are you?" the Devil Lady demanded with a hiss.

"I am your opposite, Jun," Asuka proudly declared, her eyes dreamy. "I am the one who will save this world. But only you, Jun, one born of darkness, can make me whole. Lie with me, Jun. We have both desired it since the day we met. Even before then, we sensed the other. You do love me, don't you?"

Jun felt her body tremble as her pulse quickened and her heart began to pound violently. Her darkest desires from her most private moments began to come to a boil beneath her flesh as her legs carried her closer to the one she so longed and lusted for. "No," the Devil Lady begged of herself. "There is no love between us. I hate you!" Still, she continued forward until Asuka's breasts nearly touched her own. "I'll always hate you! I…I…" Asuka opened her eyes, which were now awash with a vulnerable and open desire. Her lips seemed to quiver as they glistened. Everything about her screamed for Jun. "I've always loved you, Asuka. Even as a child, I longed for you. I've loved you above _everyone_ else. Please, take me. Make me yours." Stumbling forward, the Devil Lady felt her eyes begin to flow with warm tears as she neared her beloved. "You're all I've _ever_ wanted. I love you, Asuka. I give myself to you." Jun finally reached Asuka, tightly wrapped her arms around her, feeling her beloved do the same, and slowly collapsed onto her knees, never easing up on her grip, as if to worship at the blond woman's feet.

"I love you too, Jun," Asuka declared as a wicked smile formed across her face. "Now, on your stomach." Like an obedient dog, Jun released her lover's ankles and pressed her belly into the grass and dirt. "Tell me you love me, Jun."

"I…I love you, Asuka," Jun declared, though her voice began to tremble. _What am I saying? What is she doing to me?_

"Roll onto your back, Jun," Asuka ordered as her long, flowing hair blew in the wind. "Give yourself to me." Unable to resist, the Devil Lady turned onto her back, her spaded tail lying flat in the grass. The blond woman let out a satisfied purr as her smile grew. "Spread your wings for me. I want to see you in _all_ your glory, you beautiful fallen angel." As tears began to swell and flow from her eyes, Jun spread her bat-like wings as she screamed furiously inside herself. "Oh, Jun. You can't resist me. You never _could_. Submission was your way of loving me." Asuka knelt down on the grass beside Jun's body and leaned over her face. "You don't have to fight it anymore," she whispered. "Prove your love for me with a kiss."

Her heart pounding, the Devil Lady mustered enough strength to shake her head as burning tears flowed into the grass around her head. _No! All the love I ever had for you is_ _ **gone**_ _! It was never love at all! I hate you, Asuka!_

"Jun, you don't have to fight anymore," Asuka assured her beloved. "You don't need to hold onto your beliefs, your fears, or the rules of the world around you. You can give in to me, mind, body, and soul. Let it all go, Jun. Kiss me now." Jun closed her eyes and slightly opened her mouth. Smiling a wicked smile, Asuka closed her own eyes, lowered herself slowly, and kissed Jun's dry, wanting, delicious lips.

 _Fight her off!_ Jun commanded of herself, though her words fell upon deaf ears. _Please! Why don't I have the strength to fight her?_ Despite her will to fight back, the woman felt every fiber of her being longing for Asuka, even through the anger and knowledge of her darkness were still fresh in her mind. Everything wanted to surrender to her.

Pulling herself away, Asuka licked her lips to taste Jun one last time. "It's almost over, Jun," she declared as she threw her head back, flipping her long blond hair back and flaring out her breasts. "This final time, I ask for your body. Surrender yourself to me and fulfill your destiny. Then, Jun, you can finally rest and never wake again."

Jun's breath trembled as she inhaled heavily, her streams unrelenting. Feeling Asuka's breasts press against her own, the Devil Lady closed her eyes and cried out as she was once more violated. Everything flashed red before her mind gave her the mercy of darkness. Then, all that remained was an internal pain, like a raw nerve or a flesh wound.

After the pain subsided, Jun found herself back in Asuka's hellish utopia, lying on her back in pain. "Thank you, Jun," the blond-haired woman whispered before leaning down for one last kiss. Their lips met one another and gelled long enough for Jun to spit in complete rejection. "You filthy beast!" Asuka screamed as she threw herself back and rose onto her feet.

"I was never a beast," the Devil Lady whispered, her voice still quaking but rising to strength. "It was always you. Damn you, Asuka."

Calming herself, Asuka let out a scoff before smiling once more. "You've served your purpose, Jun," she declared. "Now, be gone. Paradise has no place for something like you. Have your rest."

Her eyes fixed on Asuka, Jun felt the ground beneath her shatter and give way. Unable to move, the Devil Lady could only watch as she fell for what felt like an eternity until she was swallowed by the Mouth of Hell. Before the light vanished, she heard the cries of familiar voices begging her to fight back. She couldn't save them: She couldn't save any of them. "I'm sorry," was all she could choke out before everything faded into nothingness.


	2. II

The Devil Lady:

Ascendant

II

"… _That must be our cure- To be no more. Sad Cure! For who would lose, though full of pain, this intellectual being: Those thoughts that wander through eternity, to perish rather, swallowed up and lost in the wide womb of uncreated Night, devoid of sense and motion?" -John Milton,_ _Paradise Lost_ _._

Once more clad in her white robes, having fulfilled the prophecy, Asuka looked up to the skies to see they were void of any stars. The entire world was surely shrouded in darkness, entering into an eternal night. Closing her eyes and smiling, the blond-haired woman felt a warm light shine down on her as it tore through clouds none knew existed. As the light bathed her, Asuka let her robe fly to the wind and reveal her body. She was no longer ashamed of what she was. After all, she was the only one who could save the world from the darkness that had long lusted for its soul.

Throwing her arms open at her sides, the woman felt her body begin to shine with its own unnatural white light. Slowly, golden wings that matched the long locks that crowned her head began to grow and extrude from her upper back and above her ears. Her flawless, pale, unblemished body glistened as she felt herself ascend to the heavens on her own wings. She was truly Jun's opposite as her angelic form moved away from the darkness and into the light.

Her black wings useless, the Devil Lady choked on the burning sulfur air as the gateway to Hell crumbled as she passed through it. The light of the sun had abandoned her, as did all true feelings of heat and cold. Falling with no end in sight, Jun finally reached the stone bottom as a dark and bloody sky passed over. Finally opening her hazy, moist eyes, the young woman, still in her Devilman form, gazed around at the ruins of the world she once knew. Everything was rotting and slowly being consumed by the red sand that covered the stone floor. The stench of death and disease burned her nostrils as she forced herself to stand up. "Where am I?" she asked herself, though she knew the answer. Looking up, she heard only a hellish silence as swarms of scarabs, maggots, and locust began to squirm and crawl over and around her feet. "Oh. So, this is what becomes of us…of me. I suppose it makes sense that a demon die in Hell. I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Kazumi. I'm sorry, everyone." Lowering her head in shame and disgrace, the Devil Lady felt something tightly wrap around her neck and pull her back. The will to live and fight had faded long ago, so the grasp of tentacles meant nothing to the woman. When its grip let up, Jun found herself bound to a terrible mountain.

Dropping her head, the Devilman allowed her form to fade back to its human state. Jun's long, raven-black hair covered her shameful face as she let her head hang. After all she had done, all the people she had failed, and all the death and destruction she had helped bring, Hell seemed like the only suitable place for her to spend eternity. The world would soon forget her, as it would the Devil Lady, and all Devil-Beasts. Then, it would come to forget humanity as well. Maybe that was for the best, though.

"Jun," a warm and loving voice called out from the pit of hatred and loss. "Jun? Is that you?"

Looking forward with a new will, Jun gasped. "Kazumi?" she replied with awe. "It's really you…Yes, it's me. I've missed your voice. Your _real_ voice."

"Those things Asuka said to you," the young girl continued. "You know they weren't true, right? You're _not_ a demon, or anything bad or evil. And neither was I. You were always the best of us, Jun. The world was a better place for you having been there. Don't let yourself forget that."

"What good was I, Kazumi?" Jun sighed as despair returned to her mind. "I let you die. I couldn't stop Asuka. I let everyone die."

"Jun, look over there," Kazumi's heavenly voice argued.

The raven-haired young woman looked out to see a child, no older than Remi, crouched down on the hot sands of the ground with a stick in his hand. His hair was as black as Jun's and spiked to accommodate his sharp eyes. A dark creature resembling a turtle attempted to crawl past the child, only to be blocked by his stick. The creature continued its attempts, snarling at the boy and biting at his weapon.

"Who is he?" Jun asked in disbelief.

"His name is Akira," Kazumi answered. "He's been stopping that thing from getting near us since the day we all showed up. He can never beat it, but he won't let it hurt us. He's been protecting us for so long now. Just like you, Jun."

 _Gazing at the child, Jun's vision began to twist and fade until she saw herself as a child, standing with her back to Kazumi, Remi, Kiyoshi, and Chika as Asuka stood before them. The blond-haired woman snarled and hissed, but Jun stood her ground. "I won't let you hurt them, Asuka," the child declared. "Even if it kills me, I'll protect them from you."_

"And you did your best, Jun," Kazumi declared in a loving voice. "We all know that. There's nothing more that can happen to us now. This is Hell. We can't die or move beyond this place. But, at least you and I are together again."

"What do you mean?" Jun asked. "How could _you_ go here? You've never harmed _anyone_ a day in your life, Kazumi."

"No, but I'm a Devilman," the girl explained. "There's no room for us in Asuka's new world, so she sent us all here. There's so many of us, Jun. But you don't need to listen to them." The voices of all the beasts Jun had silenced began to cackle, scream, and swear. The righteous, who were victimized by their Devil-Beast gene, simply remained silent. "Please, just stay with me, Jun. Don't let them drag you down."

"Kazumi," Jun winced, not daring to look back at her friend. "…This is wrong. Who is Asuka to decide who is saved and who burns?" There was no answer. "I saw her flying into a light, like an angel. No, like a god. But I've seen her heart. There's nothing inside of it but greed, hatred, and deceit. She was never capable of loving anyone or anything but herself. God never trampled on others! He never condemned the innocent!" Gritting her teeth, Jun's fists tightened and began to rip the binds that held her. "They called us devils so that the world would fear and hate us…But Asuka and those who worked for her were the real Devil. _They're_ the ones who belong in Hell…and even if it kills me, that's where I'm going to send her."

"Jun, are you sure you want to do this?" Kazumi asked in her natural, sheepish voice.

"Yes, Kazumi," the black-haired woman declared. "She _has_ to be stopped. Because she was wrong. She _wasn't_ the one I loved…It was always you, Kazumi. _You're_ the one I fought for. You're the one who's kept me human all this time. Not her. Not the beast I thought I loved."

"Jun…thank you," the young woman whispered. "I always knew. Even though you hid it and ran from me, I knew the truth. I want to go with you, Jun. I want to fight by your side."

"Okay," Jun happily accepted. "And, I'm sorry I didn't know how to love you."

"That doesn't matter, Jun," Kazumi replied. "We both know the truth."

The world over, darkness gave way to a great and warming light that parted clouds and illuminated all that was. Men, women, and children awoke from their slumber, turned away from their work, and gazed up in wonder at what they beheld. Every nation was said to have laid down its arms as a wonderful, terrible, and powerful being shined above their cities. Her body as warm and golden as sunlight, Asuka cast her brilliance over every corner of the globe. Her crossed arms covered her breasts as her massive wings enveloped her lower body. A gentle smile rested upon her face as her closed eyes took in all that was before her. Many believed they saw a halo floating above the heavenly creature's head as a choir of angels circled around her. Thousands fell to their knees as a crushing sense of terror and reverence overtook them.

In the gulag Asuka and the HA had built for them, those deemed monsters and beasts were released from their cells and escorted into a grand dome-shaped chamber. Kyoko, Misaki, Takae, and Takeshi slowly stepped forward as the ceiling receded to reveal a massive window that allowed Asuka's light shine through.

"And now she's come to finish us off," Kyoko sorrowfully declared. All hope seemed lost.

Not long after Asuka's appearance, the President of the United States of America made a live broadcast on every major news, radio, and public access station from the Oval Office. Despite widespread concern, he was completely calm and confident as he began his speech. "Ladies and gentlemen," he spoke into the microphone he was wearing. "The appearance of a divine being is _no_ cause for alarm. In what seemed to be our darkest hour, the heavens opened and blessed us with a new guardian and protector. The demons that have plagued our world have all passed away. We have nothing more to fear. Lan Asuka is the answer to our prayers. She has come to conquer evil and usher us into an era of eternal peace and happiness. America has received her most special blessing, and shall endure every storm along the way. May you all be at peace forever and ever." As the President folded his hands upon his desk, the broadcast slowly ended.

Having forgotten about Devilmen and Devil-Beasts, the citizens of the world smiled in utter bliss as Asuka watched over each and every one of them. Many fell to their knees and openly worshipped her as a god. Even in her gulag, the guards laid down their arms and allowed the inmates to eat and drink as they pleased. It was said that mercy was Asuka's way. Still, those deemed devils by their fellow humans knew that their days were surely numbered.

Bound to a living mountain of corpses, her tears having turned to blood, Jun forced herself to press on. Flocks of ragged crow-like demons began to swarm over the condemned, but Jun had no fear of them. "We're not devils," she angrily declared. "And that's why… I need the strength of all of you! Thrust all your hate, your anger, and your sorrow onto me! This will be our last battle! This is our last stand against a demon who calls itself God!" The other Devilmen hollered and applauded as they offered up the last of their strength to their savior. As Jun closed her eyes, she felt Kazumi wrap herself around her back. "We can fight together, Kazumi," the black-haired woman happily declared.

"We'll _always_ be together, Jun," Kazumi answered. "I believe in you. Save _everyone_."

A brilliant and unending light erupted from the ground, shattering all that existed within the depths of the Hell Asuka had willed into existence. The wicked and the impure remained in their misery and pride as the light reduced them to ashes and rose to the surface of the earth. "Asuka and her people call us beasts, demons, and devils," the Devil Lady furiously declared as she ascended from the darkness. "A false messiah condemned the innocent for her own selfish gain. But today, she'll burn! Her reign of terror over this world will end forever!" _But it's not about revenge,_ Jun reminded herself as her restored wings empowered her. _It's about giving everyone else the future they deserve._ Joining her physical body with the souls and will of those she had fought alongside and against, the woman felt herself break free of everything that once held her back. Shattering the Hellmouth, Jun summoned the lightning of her Giga-Effect as she tore through the walls of the HA headquarters.

All members of the Human Alliance had, by now, become Devil-Beasts themselves, or given up their humanity for their own selfishness or hatred. There was nothing human left by the time the lightning decimated the unholy structure. Hearing the explosion and screams of fury and what they perceived as darkness, the people of Japan turned from their new ruler and her eternal dawn to see what must have been the Devil rising from the depths of Hell.

Sensing a disharmony, Asuka opened her eyes and let the smile fade from her face. Dark clouds began to block out the light of the sun. In the gulag, all windows and glass shattered, harming only the guards and sparing the innocent. Kyoko and her friends held one another as their savior rose up and spread her terrible wings. Seeing Jun, their hearts soared as smiles returned to their weary, dirty faces.

"Asuka!" the Devil Lady, who now stood among skyscrapers, cried out with her and Kazumi's voice.

As her image faded from the skies around the world, casting the world back into its eternal night, Asuka's heavenly glow slowly vanished to reveal her true form: Still very much a human, the woman's skin was pale, her nipples exposed and swollen, navel present as a sign of natural birth, her genitals exposed, her fingernails long but clear, her soft back lightly marked with old scars and burns, blond wings jutting out on opposite sides of her spine, her face stern and marked from lack of sleep, her hair long and blond as matching wings jutted out from its locks, and her temper evident in her expression. Once the seemingly angelic being and the seemingly demonic being were at eye level with one another, Asuka scoffed. "What purpose can the Devil have in this world?" she asked with her own voice.

"That's the one thing you tried to brand into my mind, Asuka," Jun's voice replied. "That _I_ was the Devil and you were something great. But I see through you now. You were always the lowest of us all. And I've come back from the hell you made for me, to drag you down to Hell with the rest of us!"

Time seemed to freeze as a twisted smile formed on Asuka's face. "You were never strong enough to stop me, Jun," she proudly declared. "You were never anything more than an attack dog for me. The only time you were even useful…" The woman's physical form began to contort and twist. "Was when I used you as a whore!" Asuka's wings jutted out and began to grow as their color faded to a sickly white and pointed horns formed at the edge of their spines. Her eyes faded into snake-like pupils locked in a crazed expression of joy and hatred as her face tightened and contorted to a twisted bird-like smile. As her fists clenched, the woman's arms grew long and thin as her fingers became claws and her feet talons. Her navel filled itself with flesh and bloated until it resembled the enlarged stomach of a reptile as her nipples faded and genitals vanished. "You should have remained by my _side_ , Jun," the beast roared. "You should have stayed my toy for all of eternity!" Lashing out, Asuka slashed at the dark being.

Unflinching, the Devil Lady grabbed the claw and dug her own nails into it. "Your true nature comes out, Asuka," Jun and Kazumi's voice spoke up in harmony. "As hideous and beast-like on the outside as you are on the _inside_. This world has no place for you!"

Letting out a cry so horrid it induced fits of vomiting to those beneath her, Asuka thrust her other claw into the Devil Lady's abdomen.

"There's no way," Takae tearfully declared as her and her friends ran from their prison. "There's no way that terrible thing can be God."

"So many of you together," Asuka declared as she sunk her claw in deeper. "Devil-Beasts can unite to form a single entity. You should be happy the human race will evolve beyond something as vulgar as you."

"You were wrong about all of us, Asuka," the Devil Lady replied even as blood began to pour from her mouth. "We're not the beasts. We never _were_." A bolt of blue lightning struck down from the heavens and electrocuted the beast, allowing the Devil Lady to escape and clench her wound. "The real beasts are the ones who hate…The ones who kill…The ones who crush everyone and everything to get what they want. And that's why beasts belong in Hell."

"Devil-Beasts, Devilmen, all so filthy and degenerate!" the beast cried out. "After you're gone, I'll end everything and remake the world in _my_ image!" Throwing her claws into the air, Asuka summoned a storm of shooting stars to rain down on the being that stood before her. The bursts of light drove the Devil Lady to the ground, burying her body with rubble. A sea of blood washed over a portion of the city as buildings collapsed and spread their dust into the scorching air. Lowering herself, Asuka beamed with satisfaction. "Do you see the truth now, Jun? You and your kind were an abomination! You had so much promise, but you threw it all away. I would have _saved_ you, _loved_ you. But you chose to stay with your pet and the others like you. You've helped me kill so many of them. Do you _really_ believe they would stand by you? There's no place for you anywhere. I was the only one who loved you, Jun. You didn't deserve it, but I loved you all the same. Now, you're all alone."

"Jun," Kazumi's voice called out from the darkness. "Jun, can you hear me?"

Opening her blackened eyes and slowly lifting her bruised and broken body up, Jun saw her friend shining like a true angel. "Kazumi…" she weakly croaked out.

"Those things Asuka told you are all lies," the glistening young woman declared. "I love you, your family loves you, so many of us love you. You were never alone, even though it felt like it. I'll _never_ leave you. But you're the _only_ one that can stop her. I give the last of my strength to you, Jun. I'll see you again. Thank you for letting me fight beside you."

"Kazumi, wait!" Jun cried out as tears flowed from her eyes like rain. "Please, don't leave me! Kazumi, I love you! I have to know you hear me!" Finding herself met only with silence, the woman dropped her head and sobbed in the darkness. "Please…" Suddenly, Jun felt something warm her hands and heart. Gazing down, she saw a crimson orb of pure light floating in front of her tummy. "…You haven't forsaken me," she exclaimed with joy as she wrapped herself around the light and took it in.

Her eyes tearing open, the Devil Lady rose from the wreckage and roared with the fury and passion of one hundred million angels, her wings flared and her claws jutting out.

"How?" Asuka screamed as her entire body trembled.

"That's what you've never understood," Jun declared as she sunk her claws into Asuka's shoulders. "I'm not alone, so I'll _never_ die! I'm your personal devil." Thrusting herself downward, the Devil Lady forced Asuka to dive into the earth, their heads colliding with the ground at the same time.

Rising from the ash and rubble, the Devil Lady and Asuka, no longer giants, faced one another under blackened skies. Her first Devilman form strong, Jun slashed her claws against the false angel's cheek, leaving four deep gashes that began to flow with blood. Without showing any sign of pain, Asuka thrust her blond wings around Jun before wrapping her arms around her spine. Her teeth gritted, Jun rammed the crown of her head into Asuka's chin before spreading her black wings and breaking her grip.

Returning to their human forms, Jun and Asuka grappled with one another in the remains of the city. Their nails dug into their rival's hands as they gritted their teeth. Where desire and a sense of friendship once burned in their eyes, now only spite and disgust remained. As the two fought, the clouds began to shift and release bolts of lightning that struck the earth around the opposing forces. Asuka threw herself forward, clamped her jaw around Jun's ear, and began to pull away, only for Jun to thrust her knee into her former friend's stomach. Blood began to pour as the endless battle raged on, though neither side would submit.

"Why did you betray me, Jun?" Asuka demanded through gritted teeth.

"Because you betrayed _everyone_ ," Jun declared. "I trusted you as a sister, fought by your side, and stood by you, but you only cared about yourself. You'd send everyone to Hell just to make yourself a god."

"I _am_ a god!" the blond woman screamed. "I suffered my whole life because of people like you. I deserve to stand above everyone else. You don't know what it's like being different, knowing you could _never_ fit in with those around you!"

"Yes I do," the black-haired woman called back. "I've been alone my whole life. People come and go, and anyone who stayed, _you_ cast away. I was sick as a child, living with parents who didn't believe in me, knowing I wasn't like the other girls. Then you told me I was a demon that _nobody_ could ever love. We're the same, Asuka, but you chose to hurt those around you." With that, Jun threw Asuka away, only for the blond to charge back at her.

Within a flash of lightning, Jun and Asuka were children again, both covered with cuts and scrapes, and running at one another with the anger and pain only children can feel. The two kicked, slapped, and clawed at one another under a growing storm. As the two girls grappled, they each felt tears streaming down their skinned cheeks.

"I thought you were my friend," Jun cried out. "I did _everything_ for you."

"You never liked me at all!" Asuka screamed. "I hate you, I hate my daddy, and I hate the whole world! I just want it all to go away!"

"But that's not fair to everybody else," the black-haired child declared. "You only looked at the bad and forgot all the good. That's why you were never happy."

Confronted with all their pain, sorrow, and anger, Jun and Asuka mourned the friend and life they could have had as they exchanged one blow for another until the ground was painted red.

With another flash of lightning, Jun and Asuka returned to their giant forms and grappled as they ascended to the skies. Throwing herself back, Asuka summoned her angels to strike Jun with blasts of light. One by one, the blasts tore at her flesh until two bolts destroyed her wings. "Once more, the Devil falls!" Asuka happily cried out as Jun plummeted to the ground. "Now there's nothing that separates you from the other beasts. What worth has a fallen angel who doesn't even have her wings?" The angels continued to assault the earth with blasts of light, slicing off the Devil Lady's arms and goring her stomach.

Despite her pain, Jun remembered Kazumi and her family, and belched fire from her blood-soaked mouth. The flames engulfed Asuka's body and turned her wings to ash, sending her into the rubble below. Fires raged around the two as they staggered to their feet. Roaring like a true demon, Asuka charged forward as she screamed out Jun's name. Jun pushed herself forward as well, her horns shining as lightning flashed overhead. Their footsteps causing the earth to quake, the angel and the demon charged at one another and crossed paths.

Turning around, Jun felt blood pour from her stomach as it flowed from her mouth. Asuka turned around as well, laughing with all her might. However, as her torso released an endless spray of blood, her smile faded. "Jun!" she cried out in agony as her upper body separated from her lower. With a blast of light, the false god burst into flames and dissolved, leaving only the Devil Lady.

As tears streamed from her eyes, Jun screamed at the world before the eyes of the public. Watching the live feed from the Oval Office, the President was rendered speechless. A single gunshot was heard from the White House that night, followed by silence. The dark clouds began to part, making way for the sunlight to shine through and bless the Earth once more. Falling to her knees, Jun returned to her human form, her hair blowing in the cool wind as her crippled body took in the warmth around her. "I'm…so tired," she declared as tears flowed from her eyes. "It's all over, but…what's left of me now?"

"Jun?" called out a familiar voice.

Gasping, Jun looked around her surroundings. "Kazumi?" she joyously exhaled. Finally looking up, the black-haired woman saw Kazumi, bathed in light, descending to her from the open heavens. "Kazumi! It's really you."

"And now we can be together, Jun," the young woman joyously declared as she wrapped her warm arms around her beloved friend. "Nothing can tear us apart. You don't have to fight anymore. You don't have to hold on. He's _there_ , Jun, and He's forgiven _all_ our sins."

"Do you mean it, Kazumi?" Jun asked, feeling her pain fade away. "I don't have to stay here anymore?"

"Yes, Jun," Kazumi answered. "And you'll never have to lose anyone or cry ever again. Will you come with me, Jun?"

"Yes," Jun happily gasped as she took her friend's hand. Before she even noticed, Jun found herself ascending to Heaven with her friend as a choir of angels welcomed them into a place beyond the clouds and blood. Looking down, Jun saw her body take on its Devilman form before blossoming into a white and blue, angelic version of itself that shined with white wings and long and flowing black hair. Even her lost arms grew back. "Now I see the truth," Jun happily declared as she and Kazumi departed from Earth on the wings of Angels.

Kyoko, Misaki, Takeshi, and Takae stood among the remains of their city, taking in the warmth of the sun. All those who would see them dead had died, and the unjust had all gone away. Reaching out her hand and taking Takeshi's, Takae looked at her friends and smiled. A bright new future was just about to start. Not long after that day, girls with fox tails, boys with antlers, and others Asuka would have dubbed beasts or demons were happily ran about the streets, riding in cars with their families, or just enjoying freedom and happiness in a reformed world. All thanks to the one they dubbed The Devil Lady.


End file.
